Nehuén Pérez recovers, ready to fight at FC Porto in 2026/27 | OneFootball

Before goalkeeper João Afonso and striker André Silva, Francesco Farioli had already secured, without needing to turn to the market, a reinforcement for next season. And this was no ordinary player, but a name with significant weight within the group. After a season practically lost due to a complete Achilles tendon rupture, Nehuén Pérez is preparing for 2026/27 in full physical condition and ready to fight for a place in the starting eleven, although he faces a very difficult barrier to overcome.

Given the excellent season put together by the Bednarek/Kiwior duo and the strong likelihood that the two Poles will start the new season ahead in the battle for a starting spot, the 25-year-old centre-back will have to work at the limit and remain highly patient to earn a place in the team.

This is a rather unusual scenario in the career of the Argentina international, since in the last four seasons he has always started as a first-choice player. In three of them with Udinese and, in the previous one, in the FC Porto shirt, although in 2024/25 he moved directly from the Italian club’s starting eleven to that of the Dragons with the league campaign already underway.

Serious injury halted his rise

If Nehuén Pérez’s debut season at the Dragão did not go particularly well, also affected by the negative circumstances that hit the team, in the following campaign the signs were positive until the injury struck. The Argentine looked more confident, largely thanks to the mental work of Francesco Farioli and his good understanding on the pitch with Bednarek. The centre-back scored in the win against Casa Pia and then ended up scoring an unfortunate own goal in Sporting’s favour, with no impact on the result.

On September 13 last year, after already losing his place to Kiwior, Nehuén Pérez came off the bench in the match against Nacional to take up the right side of the defence and was on the pitch for only five minutes. A complete Achilles tendon rupture forced the defender to leave the field and kept him away from the team for a long eight months.

His return to competition came on May 16, in the title celebration match. The Argentine came onto the pitch emotional, under a strong ovation from the fans present at the Dragão. It was fair recognition from the public and also of the work carried out by Farioli during the recovery period. Nehuén Pérez did not give up and is ready for the fight. An important reinforcement for the challenges that lie ahead.

Third biggest investment

Nehuén Pérez was FC Porto’s third biggest investment in signing a defender. At first, the SAD led by André Villas-Boas paid €4.1 million for the Argentine’s loan and later, when buying his rights permanently, shelled out another €13.3 million. In total, the centre-back cost the SAD’s coffers €17.4 million.

Only David Carmo, still under the club’s previous administration, who cost €20 million, and Jakub Kiwior, whose overall investment has already reached €19 million, rank above Nehuén Pérez.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.